Letting Go
by Starr Dust
Summary: Sequel to 'The Blessed Curse Parenting isn't easy and being a pirate doesn't help any. You can do everything right, but still are left with the hardest task of all, letting go. Complete
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean, its story and characters, is owned by Walt Disney Pictures.

**Warning:** Slash (Jack/Will), mentions of mpreg, a bit of OOC, and lots of original characters

**A/N:** Sequel to "The Blessed Curse." If you haven't read it, it's recommended that you do, otherwise you may be a bit lost. This is basically the story of Jack and Will's youngest child getting married. Consist mostly of flashbacks and takes place a few years after the events of "The Blessed Curse." Remember, this is an AU, especially since the movie sequels that will be coming out in the next few years will be nothing like this.

Prologue

_Will sighed as he rocked slowly back and forth in his chair, gazing outside the window. He held his son in the crock of his right arm as his left hand propped the bottle into his tiny mouth. The babe suckled hungrily on the bottle as Will continued to stare out at the night sky. There was no moon out tonight, and the stars where obscured by the thick gray clouds. Inside the small room that had been made just for the baby, a few small candles flickered, lighting up the room just enough to see the surroundings. The baby's crib rested in the corner, just under the sole window and the night stand (and part time changing table) lay just a few inches to the right of it. In the other corner was Will, in the rocking chair, the very image of parental love and affection as he held his child in a loving, protective embrace almost out of fear that he would disappear into thin air and be nothing more then a dream. _

_Jack stood leaning against the door frame, gazing with love and affection at both Will and their child. He chewed longingly at his bottom lip, noticing the distant look on young man's face._

_"You don't have to stay, Jack," he said, breaking the uneasy silence. His tone was calm and even, but Jack knew that he was hurting inside. "I know you want to go..."_

_Jack shifted uncomfortably at the blacksmith's words. He shook his head lightly, but even with the slight movement, the trinkets in his hair seemed to make the slightest noise. "'S not right," he began sadly. "Can't just leave ye an' the baby 'ere by yerselves."_

_"But you and I both know that you need to go," Will said, still not bothering to look at him. "You love the sea. It's your home."_

_Jack licked his lips struggling to find the right words. He hated how Will was so noble and selfless. He was always willing to give up his happiness for the sake of others. It was a quality that he himself lacked and found both endearing and frustrating about the boy. No, not a boy. Not anymore. He was a man now. You don't go through a painful labor and still retained the title of a child. Despite his age and youthful looks he was an adult and deserved to be treated as such, whether Jack liked it or not. _

_"Me home's with ye and the baby, luv," he said firmly, but knowing in his heart everything Will was saying was true. He was out of place here on the land. He needed the constant motion of the sea, the freedom that it offered and most importantly, he needed the Pearl. He loved Will and their baby with his heart and soul (what was left of his soul as he often joked bitterly), but the Black Pearl was his first love, and one never could forget or let go of their first love._

_Will turned to him then, and Jack was taken aback by the unshed tears in his chocolate brown eyes. He smiled brokenly at him, his bottom lip quivering slightly. Since his pregnancy, Will had become even more sensitive, a side effect that the doctors had said would pass in time. Still, Jack hated to see him cry and hated even more when _he _was the reason why he cried. He just wanted to take him in his arms and kiss away the tears, making sure he never cried again. "I know you love us, Jack," he managed to choke out. "But it's been two long months since you've stepped foot on the Black Pearl. I know how much you love her. I know you call to her sometimes in your sleep. I can't bare to see you like this anymore._

_"I've gotten most of my strength back and I'm certain that I can manage to take care of the baby all by myself if I had to. You don't have to leave forever. You can always come and go as you please. We'll be fine..." At these last words Will burst into tears, unable to hold back the emotion._

_Jack immediately rushed over to his side, cupping his tear stained cheeks in his hands and proceeding to kiss the younger man softly on the lips. Will continued to sob and clutched the baby closer to his body. "I love ye, Will," Jack said quitely, as he parted from the soft, pink lips of his young love. "I couldn't live without the two o' ye."_

_"You don't have to," he said, fighting to hold back the tears a little longer. "I know you'll come back to us. It's alright." He leaned into the pirate's soft grasp. "You can go."_

_He leaned in to kiss him again. "I'll come back for ye'," he promised. "I swear I will."_

* * *

Captain Jack Sparrow was a man of his word. He would always make good on his promise to Will, always returning to him and Gabe in the fall and staying until the first sign of spring. Their good byes were always teary and reluctant. He would feel his heart breaking as he gazed into both Will's and Gabe's sad eyes. However, his good byes with the Pearl were nearly the same. Granted the Pearl couldn't physically shed tears, Jack could still feel the ships sorrow at being parted with him. 

His heart was torn in half. The sea was his home. He always felt naked and exposed on dry land, only tolerating the frustrating steadiness for the necessary shore leaves that he'd allow his crew. He couldn't live without it, he would begin to feel sick, listless, even depressed when parted from his home for too long a period.

Then there was his family. The only _real_ family he'd ever known. His man and his babe lived on land and he knew that he couldn't convince Will to leave with him again, not until the blacksmith could be certain that Gabe would be able to handle the harsh sea. Still, he couldn't stomach being away from the two of them. He'd often find himself crying in his sleep when away from them too long. No amount of rum could dull the pain of being away from those he loved most.

And that's how it was for him. Pained on land and pained while at sea. At least, that's how it was until Will announced that he was pregnant with their second child.

_

* * *

__Will smirked at the older man happily, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "I'm pregnant," he said._

_Jack stared at him, in shock and surprise. He tried to work his mouth and form words, but for the first time in his life, Jack was speechless. "P... pr... pregnant?" Jack managed to choke out, still finding his throat thick and his mind muddled._

_Will's brown eyes began to water a little as he stared at the older man. His smirk faded and his bottom lip began to quiver. "You're... you'__re not happy..." he sobbed._

_Jack fumbled with his words, still not completely able to think of what to say. "No! 'S not that, luv. It's just..." he grunted and sat up, hunching over in bed. "Just wasn't expectin' this."_

_Will's face began to crumple and he quickly turned over in bed, facing the wall and avoiding Jack's gaze. "I thought you'd be happy," he whimpered brokenly. "What's wrong with having another baby? I want more children!"_

_"But we never talked about havin' more kids before," he added quickly. Seeing that his words weren't helping to sooth Will he reached over and rubbed the young man's shoulders. "'S not that I'm not happy, luv. I love ye an' I love Gabe an' I'll love this baby, 's just... I don't know what to do! I can't leave ye alone 'ere an' I can't just up an' leave the Pearl for nine months!"_

_"Six."_

_"What?" Jack said, not quite understanding Will's muffled words._

_He turned his head over slightly so that his mouth wasn't covered by the pillow as much. "I said 'six.' I'm three months pregnant."_

_Jack groaned, resting his head in the palm of his hands. "When were ye planin' on tellin' me this? If I hadn't come back early, I mean?" Will sniffed and stayed silent. Jack sighed again, falling back onto the mattress, causing the bed to squeak. "What are we gonna do, luv? Can't leave ye alone."_

_"I'll manage," Will protested stubbornly._

_"Really?" Jack asked turning to face Will's back and raising a dubious eyebrow. "What about when yer eight months along an' havin' trouble bendin' down ta tie yer shoes let alone raisin' a child, tendin' to housework, an' keepin' the forge runnin'?"_

_"Gabe's too young to go to sea, Jack," Will put in, knowing just where Jack was going with this. "He's only three years old, and is likely to get hurt or sick or... or worse."_

_"But I'll be there to protect ye! All o' ye! Just stay with me Will. I promise I'll protect ye, ye know I will. I can't stand livin' like this anymore. Half dead no matter where I am, sick and lonely at sea, depressed and tired on land. I've been faithful, ye know that." He caressed Will's thigh, causing the younger man to shiver with pleasure. He bit down on his lower lip as he watched the blacksmith squirm. "Gets so cold at night in that big, empty cabin. No body there to warm me bed at night." He bent down to kiss Will's neck and was rewarded with a soft sigh of pleasure. _

_"I know that you're miserable Jack, but this isn't easy for me either. I'm here all alone having to tend to everything all by myself, and I miss you at night as well." He turned over and gazed at Jack with sad red eyes, his cheeks stained with tears and his bottom lip still quivering. "But this isn't about what's best for us, it's about what's best for the children. It's what being a parent is all about. I remember how miserable things were for my mother. I remember hearing her cry herself to sleep some nights longing for my father. She did what she had to, to keep me safe and alive and that's what parents do, they give up the things they love to make their children happy. That's what we must do now."_

_"But don't ye think it'll make Gabe happy to be with me on the Pearl. Ye saw the way 'is lil' face lit up when he saw me 'ere."_

_"I know but-"_

_"Will," Jack cut in, scooping up Will's left cheek in the palm of his right hand, rubbing his tears away with his thumb. "Please. Come away with me. I need ye, an' ye need me, too."_

_"Bu-" Will was cut off as Jack pressed his chapped lips against his. He moaned and leaned into the warmth of Jack's mouth. When they parted he panted a little bit and stared into Jack's serious dark eyes. There was so much love and sadness in them that they seemed to crush Will with their intensity. Will sighed and chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "You'll have to tell him we're going then."_

* * *

And so Will and Gabe became permanent members of the Black Pearl crew. Just as Jack had originally offered the first time that Will was taken aboard the Pearl while with child, Jack had set up a forge below deck just for him. They went back to sharing the Captain's quarters and Gabe was given his own private room. 

Six months later, they welcomed the arrival of their baby girl, whom Jack had lovingly named Wilhelmina, after Will of course. At first Will had been flattered that Jack decided to name the child after him, until he realized that he was calling him a girl (at least, that was what he had concluded)! He then decided to give her the nickname of Mina for then on.

Time went on, and the four of them lived as a happy (although strange) little family. As the children grew up they began to take after their parents in certain areas. Gabe began to resemble a younger Jack with less scars and curly hair. He was realistic, hardworking, and was very good with a sword. Not to mention noble. So noble in fact that he ended up impregnating and then marrying one of his first girlfriends. Will had been crushed to say the least at the idea of his baby boy getting married, but managed to pull threw and, with much effort, let him go.

If Gabe was the spitting image of Jack, then Mina was the mirror image of Will, if of course Will were a girl. She looked just like her father, from the chocolate brown eyes to the curly brown hair, but she was nothing like him in personality. She was a wild child and a free sprite. Always drinking, cursing, and acting very much like a lady version of Jack, except in the bedroom. Any man who so much as glanced at the girl was met with three very protective men. However, that didn't keep the girl from finding love in the form of a young Lieutenant Graham Norrington.

Admiral James Norrington (retired) and Elizabeth Norrington's young son had managed to catch the young girl's fancy and sweep her off her feet. Now she was getting ready to wed and the two families were preparing to become one in the coming days.

Jack sighed slightly as he gazed out over the horizon at the dark clouds forming up ahead. A storm was fast approaching.


	2. Ch 1: Memories of the Wolf

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean, its story and characters, is owned by Walt Disney Pictures.

Chapter 1

Will shivered slightly as he came out on deck that morning. Jack had taken the morning shift at the helm and since there was no warm body to cuddle up against, he saw no reason to try and stay in bed any longer then he should. Taking in the first breaths of a new day, Will stretched and reached his arms high into the air above his head, enjoying the slight cracking sound of his back. He was already thirty eight years old and although he didn't feel like an old man, his age was starting to catch up with him. His face was still as fresh and bright as it had been twenty years ago, but he had a few scars from the pirate lifestyle that he began to lead, and his brow had earn a few creases from the worries of parenthood. Still he felt good about how he looked.

He turned over and faced the helm and saw Jack gripping the wheel, staring off into the distance, every so often glancing down at his compass and mumbling to himself. Will simply smiled at the pirate and walked across the deck, enjoying the quite of early morning. He saw that he wasn't the only early riser on board when he spotted Gabe leaning on the railing, day dreaming as he peered across the vast ocean.

Will strolled over toward his son and smiled at him. "Good morning," he said cheerfully.

Gabe jerked a bit at the sound of his father's voice. He turned to stare at him and smiled back. "Mornin' Father," he replied a bit tired. "You startled me."

Will chuckled. "Sorry son," he said softly.

Gabe then turned back to the sea and began to stare at the sunrise. The orange hue was truly breath taking, but Will couldn't help but stare at the young man whom he'd carried inside of him for nine months. Gabe was about an inch or so taller then he was, and his shoulder length curly, black hair was lose today. The faintest of scars rested on the young man's chin, a result of a very active childhood, and his face was nearly as tanned as Jack's. A thick mustache rested on his upper lip and threw his right earlobe was an earring of a hook. He wore a loose, old red shirt and a pair of faded black trousers. He was barefoot today, and the tip of his tattoo peaked out from the collar of his shirt.

Will grunted at the memory of that tattoo. The earring was slightly bearable and had come sometime after, but the tattoo he was never very fond of.

* * *

_Will sighed as he finished pouring the last bucket of warm bath water in the tub. He had noticed that Gabe was walking with a slight pained look on his face, complaining that there was a slight pain in his back. Never having been one to let his baby suffer, Will was more then willing to help him feel better. A nice hot bath would do good for sore muscles, besides, the young man stank and could use a good scrubbing._

_He went over to the cabin that Gabe and Mina shared bellow deck and found Gabe resting flat on his stomach on his bunk as Mina sat reading a book in her own._

_"Gabe," he called, getting both teenagers' attention. "Come with me, it's time for you to take a bath."_

_Gabe, who was no more then sixteen at the time, stiffened at his father's request. "I... I don't think that's necessary Father," he stammered nervously. "No thanks!"_

_Will folded his arms and gave the teen a stern look. "Firstly Gabe, you smell." At this comment Mina giggled, trying to hide behind her book. "Secondly, I noticed the way that you've been walking, clutching your back and constantly rubbing, even complaining that it was sore. A nice warm bath will do you good. Now come on, you're taking a bath."_

_Gabe glanced over at Mina, giving the thirteen year old a pleading glance. Mina simply shrugged, signaling that he was on his own. Gabe reluctantly followed his father into the captain's cabin where Will had set up the bath._

_Will turned to face, the young man then. "Alright, hand me your clothes and I'll take them to the wash and get you a fresh set."_

_Gabe seemed to pale a little at this suggestion. "I really don't think that a bath is a good idea right now Father," he said, shifting from foot to foot. "I'll do it some other time."_

_"Gabriel, take off your clothes and get in the tub." There was no room for argument in Will's tone. When he spoke to his children by their proper names they both knew he was serious._

_Gabe slumped his shoulders in defeat. He began to take of his shirt and then stopped. "Could you at least turn around Father?" he asked sheepishly._

_Will sighed a slight smirk on his face. "I've seen you naked many times before Gabe," he chuckled slightly. "Remember, I'm the one that used to bath you by hand."_

_Gabe blushed slightly. "Well, that was when I was little," he argued. "I'm sixteen, practically a man now. I think I'm a bit too old to have my father looking' at me naked."_

_Will rolled his eyes and then turned around. He _was _getting older, it made sense for him to want to be treated like more of an adult. Especially since Will had a tendency to coddle his children, even around the crew. He felt a shy hand tap his shoulder and he reached around to grab the clothes from Gabe's hand, still not looking. "I'll be back in a moment with some fresh clothes for you to wear."_

_Will returned a few minutes later with a change of clothes for Gabe. He had somewhat forgotten his son's request when he came back to the cabin and neglected to knock before entering. No one regretted this more then Gabe._

_When he entered the room he saw his son clothed in nothing more than a mere towel that was wrapped around his waist as he patted his curl black hair dry. He had his back facing Will, giving his father a good look at his freshly made tattoo. The large image of a black wolf's head rested between the teenager's shoulder blades. The wolf seemed to be growling or barking at something, baring it's sharp, blood stained teeth, while a wild look glowed in it's all white eyes._

_It wasn't the graphic detail of the image that made Will gasp, but the very fact that his son had gotten a tattoo without his permission. No respectable gentlemen could carry a tattoo without having it come back to haunt him. If Gabe had ever had any chance of leaving the pirating world to pursue a normal life, he just threw them straight out the window. He may as well have just put a Jolly Rogers in place of the wolf._

_Will shook with anger and disappointment. He dropped the clothes that he had been holding in his arms and balled his fist at his sides. "Gabriel," he said dangerously, an edge to his words. His voice made the boy nearly jump out of his skin. He turned around and stared into his father's eyes, they seemed to glow with an anger that matched that of the wolf he would forever carry on his back. "How dare you," he began slowly, trying to keep his cool just enough to actually make words. "How dare you get a tattoo and not tell me about it! And to make matters worse, you go around hiding it from me! Do you know how worried I've been? I thought that you were seriously hurt, instead I find that you've merely been covering up that... that... _thing _on your back!"_

_"Father," he began, his voice trembling, squirming in fear. He took a step back, unconsciously. "I-I can explain."_

_"Does your Dad know about this?" he asked, completely ignoring Gabe's words. _

_"What?" he almost squeaked, confusion clear in his voice._

_"Does Dad know about this?" he repeated. Gabe opened and closed his mouth, looking very much like a fish on land, gasping for breath. Will grunted with frustration at the boy's lack of a response and instead opened the door and called for Jack. In a few seconds the pirate captain was rushing into the room. _

_"Somethin' the matter, luv?" he asked somewhat annoyed at being called away from the helm. _

_Will grabbed Gabe roughly by the shoulder and spun him around, giving Jack a good look at the wolf on their son's back. "Did you know anything about _this?_" he demanded, pointing at the tattoo that ruined the young man's perfect skin. He wasn't very gentle as he did so either, making sure to point at it hard, so that Gabe would wince in pain._

_Jack stared at the marking with wide kohl-rimmed eyes, a nervous look on his face. He bit his lip and swallowed a little bit, trying to think of something to say. "I am utterly shocked," he said. His tone was unconsciously insincere and gave him away._

_"You _knew!_" Will accused. He had been around the pirate for sixteen years now and he knew when he was lying. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

_"I asked him not to," Gabe cut in before Jack could make up a lie for him._

_"That enough out of you!" Will said, shaking him harshly as he pulled him over to face him. "How could you do this? Haven't I been good to you? Haven't I been loving to you? And yet you disobey me. You _lie _to me. You tell your Dad things that you won't tell me."_

_"Father don't be mad," Gabe pleaded, still trying to reason with the enraged blacksmith, who had always treated him with the love and kindness equal to that of any parent._

_"I'm not mad," Will said, his voice small and weak. "I'm hurt. It's clear to me now that you don't love me the way that you used to. You shrug away from my touch, you grimace and squirm as I try to kiss you, and now you keep things like this from me."_

_"Father I wasn't thinking straight! I was drunk!"_

_As soon as the words left his mouth Gabe knew that he had made a mistake. He barely heard Jack mumble the words "stupid boy" under his breath. He waited for Will to react, and winched as the blacksmith turned an accusing eye toward Jack. Jack was taken a bit by surprise, not expecting to be at the receiving end of Will's fury. "I didn't know anything about this, luv, I swear. All I knew, was that he got the tattoo and didn't want ta tell ye 'bout it. That's all!" Will turned away from him sadly, knowing that Jack was telling the truth, but that didn't stop this from hurting._

_"Why?" he asked meekly. "Why are you trying to pull away from me, Gabe?"_

_Gabe shifted nervously, suddenly feeling very cold in nothing but his towel and his wet skin. "B-because I'm sixteen years old," he replied, knowing that the response sounded very lame, even to him. "I'm a man, and whenever I'm around you... I-I feel so small. Like I'm a baby. I just want to be grown up and treated like a man."_

_"Your not a man, Gabe," Will choked, barely able to hold back his tears. "Your just a boy with a bloody wolf tattoo on your back! Get out of here, Gabe! I can't stand to even look at you anymore."_

_"But-"_

_"Ye heard yer father," Jack barked, cutting in. "Now go to yer room!"_

_"Can't I change first?" Gabe asked meekly, nodding down at his towel wrapped his lower half. _

_Jack raised an eyebrow and gave him a stern look. "If ye like that tattoo o' yer's so much, then ye'll be more then proud to show it off ta the rest o' the crew. Now out with ye!"_

_Gabe left quickly, half out of anger and half out of shame of the way he had treated the man who had been so kind and caring to him all his life. He softly closed the door and left the pair alone._

_Just as the cabin door shut, Will collapsed on the floor in a fit of tears, crying his eyes out. Jack tried his best to comfort him, but all Will could to was cry and whimper the words "my baby" over and over again._

* * *

Will frowned at the memory. Gabe had apologized to him the next day, but he could never forget that incident. His rough grabs and shaking of Gabe's shoulder was the closest thing to a beating as Will had ever given him. He was even surprised to find bruises on the boy's shoulder the next day. 

Still, Gabe seemed to recover from the encounter rather quickly. He now proudly showed off his wolf tattoo whenever the opportunity arrived. At certain pubs, Gabe was even given the nickname of "Wolf" to which he would always respond with a long howl and a silly grin. Will knew that it was simply his way of rebelling against him, but still Gabe loved him. He was certain of that.

He smiled over at his son. "Couldn't sleep, lad?" he asked lazily.

Gabe sighed and hunched over the railing, nearly pitching himself over the side and Will nervously readied himself to catch the young man just in chase. "Naw," he replied. "I guess I just wanted to watch the sun rise over the horizon. Loved doin' that when I was a kid." A far off glance crossed his tanned face as he stared at the ocean. "I hate being away from them," he said longingly, referring to his wife and daughter. "I wish they had come, but Silvia doesn't think Rosemary could take the trip. Too young, she says."

Will slung his arm across his son's shoulder lovingly. "They'll be just fine," he said reassuringly. Gabe could be just as protective as Jack when it came to his family. It had started with his sister and now with his wife and child. He was willing to do damn near anything for the ones he loved.

He smiled and glanced at Will. "What 'bout you?" he asked raising an eyebrow. Will turned and smiled over at Jack lovingly and was rewarded with a grin as Jack stared at him in a lusty manner. Will chuckled and turned back to the horizon. He saw Gabe shake his head from the corner of his eye. "Never mind," he groaned.

Will chuckled at his son's reaction. "It's not like that," he explained. "I just felt too cold to sleep. I guess I'm just used to having your Dad around to keep me warm."

Gabe rolled his eyes at the older man. "So it _is_ like that," he teased.

Will nudged the young man slightly, before turning back to stare out at that the horizon. "We'll be in Port Royal in a few days," Will commented thoughtfully. "Are you excited?"

"Of course," he responded with a shrug. "I've been wantin' to Mina again. I haven't seen my baby sister for quite sometime now. Not since my own weddin' I think. An' that was 'bout two years ago." He frowned a little at the thought. When he married his wife, Gabe had picked to stay with them on land. He'd been taught by Will not only how to read and write, but also the craft that Will had apprenticed in as a boy, making the father and son even closer. He had opened up his own little smithy and had thrown himself into his work. "If I'd been around a bit more, she probably wouldn't be marrin' that little bastard," he grumbled under his breath, but Will still heard him.

Gabe had never taken a liking to Graham. There first encounter had been when Gabe was only six and Graham was five. Graham had taken an instant liking to Mina and had been caught by Gabe trying to steal a kiss from the three year old girl. Graham only succeeded in earning himself a bruised cheek.

Will frowned at his son's words. He thought that Graham was a nice, respectable young man, but in his heart he didn't think he was good enough for his baby girl. In fact, Will thought no one was good enough for his daughter _or_ his son (when it came to Gabe, Jack thought Will was just being silly, but when it came to Mina, the pirate whole heartedly agreed). Still, if he made his daughter happy, he was willing to let go. He had had quite the hard time letting Gabe go, but the pain had come with the realization that his children were growing up and were going to leave sooner or later. He decided then that he shouldn't interfere unless it was dire.

"Be nice Gabe," Will warned. "Remember, he's about to be your brother-in-law, and he makes your little sister very happy. So please, at least this one time, try to get along."

Gabe bowed his head reluctantly. He heaved a deep sigh. "Alright Father," he said. "For Mina's sake."


	3. Ch 2: The Pirate Princess

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean, its story and characters, is owned by Walt Disney Pictures.

Chapter 2

Jack flopped down on the bed in the captain's cabin with a grunt of exhaustion. The bed creaked slightly from the weight and he sighed deeply as let himself go nearly limp in the safe haven that was his quarters. "Don't feel like doin' this," he moaned to his cabin mate who was busing himself by packing his clothes in a large trunk at the foot of the bed. Jack lifted his head slightly and raised an eyebrow at the former blacksmith, a disappointed look on his face as the younger man didn't react to him. "I don't wanna go on land," he continued, trying to get Will's attention more then vent his frustration. "Don't wanna have to meet the Norringtons, don't wanna dine with 'em, don't wanna-"

Will groaned in annoyance at Jack's droning. "Alright Jack!" Will grunted. "I get it. You don't want to do anything with the wedding. That's just fine, because Eliza... err uh Miss Swa... uh... _Mr. and Mrs. Norrington _will be taking care of everything for us."

Jack rolled over onto his back and frowned at Will's words. "Isn' the bride's side o' the family supposed to pay for the weddin'?" he asked lazily. He turned and frowned deeper at Will as a sudden thought entered his mind. "They tryin' ta say that we can't afford to give our daughter a proper weddin'? 'Cause I could giver a weddin' fit for a bloody princess!"

Will rolled his eyes at Jack as he folded one of his nicer shirts. "I'm sure that Norrington simply doesn't want the wedding to be paid for with stolen goods."

Jack snorted in response. "She deserves a princess' weddin'," he mumbled to himself as he turned on his side, facing the wall and curling into a slight ball. A lump began to form in his throat as he thought of the up coming wedding. His daughter, his baby girl, his little pirate princess, was getting married in a few days and no body was dreading the wedding more then him. He didn't want to see her go. Didn't want to admit that she was actually grown up.

_She's not grown up! _he thought angrily. _She's only seventeen bloody years old! Will wasn't even that young when 'e had Gabe!_

She _was_ still young, but she was also determined to do whatever she wanted, and for some reason, she wanted Graham Norrington. What did she see in him? He wasn't overly handsome as far as Jack could tell, nor was he a pirate. He was a _naval officer _for goodness sake! How could a pirate princess fall for a junior officer (and utter stiff to boot)? What was it about him? Did he have something, or was she just marring him to get under Jack and Gabe's skin? He had always been mystified by his daughter, ever since the day she was born.

* * *

_"A girl?" Jack repeated dumbly as Eugene held the surprisingly quite bundle in his arms. "How in the bloody hell could I 'ave a girl? None o' me kids 'ave been girls? 'Sides, Will and I are both men!"_

_"Apparently Captain, gender isn't quite as simple as that," Eugene said with a shrug. "She is yours captain, there's no doubt about that. We all know Will would never betray you like that."_

_Jack nodded at his words, but didn't take the baby in his arms. He merely looked over at her in the large doctor's arms. She was small, smaller then Gabe was if he remembered correctly. And she looked pink, very pink. Her hair was light brown and had dried into adorable curls. She gurgled and squirmed in the doctor's arms. Blindly, she reached up at him, as if she knew he was waiting for her to make the first move, to show some sign that he was really her father._

_Jack felt the corner of his mouth twitch as his lips formed a slight smile. His eyes began to water as he took her in his arms. She was beautiful. Easily the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his whole life. "So yer me first lil girl, ay?" he choked out as he felt his tears run down his cheeks and land on the soft pink skin of the little one in his arms. "Lord! Ye look just as beautiful as yer mum!" She cuddled closer to him, as if knowing that she'd just been complemented. He kissed her soft skin and felt his heart melting. "My li'l pirate princess."_

* * *

Jack grunted as a pair of his best dress pants hit him clear in the face, knocking him out of his day dream. He sat up with a start and turned to face an annoyed blacksmith. Will stared at him with narrowed eyes, his hands on his hips as he kneeled in front of the trunk of clothes. "If you think I'm packing your clothes for you _Captain_, you are sadly mistaken," he huffed.

Jack only grunted and flopped back down on the bed. "I told ye I don't wanna do any o' this! Why the bloody hell does she 'ave ta get married? That bloody lil whelp aint good 'nough to like the dirt off 'err boots, much less marry 'er!"

"Jack," Will said softly, his expression turning from annoyance to sympathy as he looked at his Captain and realized that he was really upset about this rather then just acting up. He walked over to him and sat down on the edge of the bed. Jack simply turned away and Will realized that he was crying. A smile formed on the blacksmith's lips as he looked down at Jack. "I know you're upset, but I also know that you've never really even _met_ Graham, and you are judging him a bit unfairly."

"Don't need ta meet 'im ta know he's not good enough. _No body's _good enough! Ye said so yerself once."

Will blushed slightly at the memory. How many times had he said the same thing leading up to Gabe's wedding? "I know. But I at least know that Graham is a good person. He has a lot of his father in him-"

"That supposed to make me feel better?" Jack asked, sitting up to look Will in the eyes.

Will chuckled slightly. "Of course it is. James was, and still is, a very good man. He stayed loyal to Elizabeth for all these years and did a very good job of bringing up their son to be a proper gentlemen. Graham will take care of Mina, not only because he loves her, but also because it's his duty to do so."

Jack sighed and rested his head on Will's shoulder. "Still hard, luv," he groaned.

"Of course it is," Will said honestly. "It will always be hard. You just have to put your feelings aside and see with logic and reason."

"Like ye did?" Jack teased, a slight chuckle bubbling in his throat.

Will blushed again. "Alright. So I over reacted when Gabe said he was getting married, but I realized that it was his life and his choice. Besides, even though Gabe married Silvia because he got her pregnant, I could tell that he loved her and she made him happy."

"She can't love 'im," Jack mumbled, unwilling to let himself believe that his Mina could love a naval officer.

"She does," Will said firmly, "and he makes her happy. Isn't that what you want Jack? For Mina to be happy?"

_

* * *

Will sighed in frustration as he headed over to the helm and stared at the sight in front of him. There stood the dreaded Captain Jack Sparrow, the last real pirate threat to the Caribbean, gripping the wheel of the ship in one hand, knuckles white with the strength of his grasp, and in the crook of his other arm slept a small infant baby girl, wrapped in a soft pink cloth blanket, with blue ribbons decorating her curly brown hair. The baby slept peacefully, suckling on its little pink fingers as the pirate bounced her in his arm every few seconds, muttering words of love and affection._

Quite the intimidating image,_ Will thought to himself sarcastically as he continued to stalk over to the Captain. He cleared his throat, gaining the older man's attention. He smiled wearily at his captain. "If you don't mind Captain," he began with mock formality, "I'd like to have my baby back. It's time for her nap."_

_"Well as ye can clearly see, luv," he began with a smirk, "the babe's already asleep right now. So there'll be no need for ye ta be takin' her, now will there?"_

_Will sighed and rolled his eyes at Jack. "Jack," he began, clearly annoyed at the older pirate's childish behavior. "Let me take the baby back to her crib, she needs to rest there and you need to concentrate on steering the ship."_

_"But I've got a good grip on both the babe an' the wheel, an' I won't be lettin' go of either anytime soon."_

_"And what of when your arms grow tired and you can no longer hold on to them both? You're going to have to let go sometime."_

_Jack looked down at the pink little bundle sleeping in his arms and smiled wistfully. She was so beautiful. He couldn't believe he helped to create something so pretty and perfect. "Isn' she beautiful?" he said thoughtfully. _

_Will sighed in frustration, but couldn't help but smile at the pirate's words. "She's lovely," he said reaching out to touch a pink cheek with his work hardened fingers. "We'll have to fight off all her suitor's with a stick when she gets older," he joked, but Jack didn't seem to find any humor in his words._

_Instead, the pirate stiffened and frowned at the blacksmith's words. "Won't let any o' 'em near her. Not a man alive that's good 'nough for me lil pirate princess."_

_Will chuckled and kissed his cheek. "Be that as it may," he said between laughs, "it'll happen sooner or later. Besides," he a carefully manage to pry to the infant from the pirate's grasp without waking her, "who are we to keep our baby from being happy?" Jack frowned and grasped the wheel with his free arm, suddenly missing the warmth of the little body beside him. Will raised an eyebrow at him after he didn't respond right away. "You do want her to be happy, don't you?"_

_"'Course I do," he admitted truthfully. "More then anything."_

* * *

Jack grunted. It was all he wanted. He sighed deeply as he kissed the nape of Will's neck. "What would I do with out ye, luv?"

"Well, you certainly wouldn't take any baths," Will joked. "And you'd never get packed."

Jack chuckled, getting the message. He picked himself off the bed and bent over the trunk rummaging though his clothes. Happy. That's all he wanted for his pirate princess. To be truly happy, and who was he to get in the way of that?


	4. Ch 3: The Reunion Dinner

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean, its story and characters, is owned by Walt Disney Pictures.

**Warning: **To all Norrington and Elizabeth lovers, beware. This chapter contains slight bastardization, but it will be explained in later chapters why they are behaving this way.

Chapter 3

When they arrived at the Norrington home, all three pirate men were surprised to be greeted by not a maid or any other servant, but Mina. She was, for the first time in many years, wearing a dress. It was a light blue dress with dark blue lasses at the ends. Her brown curly hair was pulled up in a bun and her chocolate eyes were sparkling with joy. She seemed to beam with enough joy to light the whole island.

Mina flung herself at the three of them wrapping her arms around Will, Jack, and Gabe and pulling them into a tight group hug. "Father! Daddy! Gabe!" she squealed. "I've missed you all so!"

Will smiled at her. He had went from being called, momma to mother to (finally) father. Jack had went from papa to da' to dad (or in Mina's case, "daddy" whenever she was extremely happy or wanted something). Will held her fondly at arms length, looking her up and down. He smiled at her and put a fake look of surprise on his face. "Look at you!" Will teased, his tone was of mock surprise. "Is this really little Mina? You look all grown up!"

Mina giggled and slapped her father's arm playfully. "Father!" she giggled.

Jack then grabbed her and lifted her up into a tight embrace as he twirled her in the air. "There's me girl!" Jack said happily. He placed a loving kiss on her forehead as he gently placed her down on the ground. "How've ye been lass? Livin' 'ere hasn't softened ye up too much, has it?"

Mina shook her head defensively and frowned playfully. "'Course not Dad!" she declared proudly. "Do ye think a few months livin' in some stuffy ole mansion could turn the Pirate Princess soft?"

"Well they certainly do have ye dressin' like a girl!" Gabe teased and was rewarded with a flash of tongue from his little sister. The four of them had a good laugh, probably longer then they should have, but none of them cared. They were merely happy to be reunited again. It was the first time in nearly two years that the four had been together in the same room.

"Mina!" a voice called from behind her and Mina turned around and smile at it's owner. A young man dressed in clothes finer then any that the three pirate men could ever hope to come across. His hair was hidden under a powered wig, and his dark blue eyes were extremely serious for one his age. His young, but stern face glowed with slight nervousness and his cheeks were flushed with embarrassment as he stared at the three men before him. "Oh," he began awkwardly, "I didn't know that you had arrived so soon. I... ugh... I heard voices and-"

"It's okay, Graham," Mina said reassuringly, loping her arm around his and placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. "You've already met Father and Gabe," she said waving to Will and her brother. She then nodded at Jack and Graham's face suddenly became redder as the older pirate frowned slightly at him. "This is my Dad," she said warmly. "Daddy, this is Graham. My fiancée."

The words seemed to mcgdog Jack's heart. Hearing them from his daughter's lips, looking at this man in her arms, seeing they way they touched and how she smiled at him. His heart was breaking and his anger was starting to bubble inside of him. _So this is the bastard who's stealin' me girl from me?_ He set his jaw and did his best not to slug the young man right then and there.

Graham reached out a nervous hand towards him, he'd never shaken hands with a pirate before, and he was certain that if anyone else found out about this, he'd die of embarrassment. Jack smirked, a glint of hidden anger in his eyes as he grasped the extended hand, secretly trying to crush the younger man's hand. Graham winced slightly, feeling the pain of the older man's grip and wondered briefly if this was how pirates greeted each other, by trying to break the other man's hand? However, before he could explore his theory by trying to crush his hand back, Will gently nudged Jack in the ribs, making the pirate drop the junior officer's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Graham fumbled out quickly.

Jack flashed him a painfully false smirk. "Like wise," he said dryly.

"I see that our guest have arrived," a familiar voice said from the other side of the group. They turned to see the Norringtons standing side by side, masks of politeness held firmly in place, hiding their true feelings.

_And so the awkward reunion begins,_ Jack thought, a feeling of dread and automatic boredom washing over him.

Norrington seemed much older now, more tired and worn, and had gained the slightest bit of weight, but he still retained the same presence that he did all those years ago. He still stood tall and proudly before him, a stricked no nonsense presence about him and his blue eyes were still quite cold and stern. He was dressed in fine clothes, powdered wig and all, but seemed a bit out of place now that he was no longer able to wear his naval uniform.

Elizabeth was still quite beautiful only now more womanly. He borrow was creased with wrinkles from the worries of parenthood and the corners of her mouth was framed with laugh lines. He golden brown hair was still as long and smooth as it once was. Tonight, it was packed tightly into a bun above her head as a long coiled rope of hair fell gracefully across the side of her face. Her dress was a soft golden color and hugged her figure slightly, showing that her shape hadn't changed much since last Will saw her.

Will smiled politely at her, but on the inside, he felt the butterflies in his stomach going mad as he stared at the woman from his past. So many thoughts and feelings pasted through his mind, just as they always did whenever she was near him. What would his life had been like had he chosen her over Jack? If he had never been bedded by the pirate. He fought all of these feelings away and just tried to remember that tonight wasn't about them. It was about his daughter.

Norrington smiled at them politely as he took turns shaking each of their hands, starting with Gabe. "Gabriel, correct?" he asked a bit awkwardly, grasping the young man's hand firmly.

"Gabe, please," Gabe responded as politely as he could manage and Will nodded slightly at him approvingly.

Norrington released him from his firm yet polite grip and looked him over briefly. "You certainly have grown since last I saw you. You couldn't have been more then six or seven years old."

Gabe blushed slightly and stayed quite, not knowing what to say.

Norrington then turned to Will, who returned both friendly hand shake and polite smile. "Mr. Turner," he said. "It's good to see you again."

"Please, James," Will said with a slight laugh. "We are about to become family soon. There's no need for such formalities. Just 'Will', will do." He smiled warmly at the man who had once been his rival for Elizabeth's affection.

He nodded politely at him. "Will it is." He then turned towards Jack, who was still staring daggers over at Graham, making the younger man squirm at Mina's side. Norrington stuck his hand out in front of Jack awkwardly, gaining the pirate's attention. Their hand shake was eerily similar to that of Jack's and Graham's only now, neither tried to crush the other's hand, Jack merely gave him a false smile as Norrington flashed him a similar one. "Sparrow," he said nodding at the other man.

"Norrington," Jack said, nodding back at him.

Now it was Elizabeth's turn to greet the men. She flung her arms around each of them in greeting and gave them all a quick, yet polite, peck on the cheek. Although, Jack noticed that she lingered on Will a bit longer then necessary, and the kiss she gave Jack couldn't even be called that, for it didn't even brush his skin.

Jack suddenly realized just how unwelcomed he was. Elizabeth was still angry at him for stealing Will, Norrington still had a distaste for him because of his career, and Graham was treating him like a stray dog that had wandered in from out on the streets. He felt like turning and leaving right then and there. Going back to the Pearl and drowning his anger with an abundance of rum, but only when Mina slipped away from Graham's side and over toward his did he remember that he was doing this for her.

"Why don't I show you to your rooms?" Mina suggest sweetly, seeing how uncomfortable her dad was.

"Nonsense," Elizabeth interrupted, either not noticing what Mina was getting at or sincerely not wanting them to go. "Dinner is ready. We'll have the butlers take your things upstairs while we dine."

* * *

If the greeting was bad, the dinner was a nightmare. It seemed the Norringtons didn't even bother to hide their disapproval of Jack and his family. The seating arrangements made that painfully clear. At the head of the table sat James himself. To his right was Elizabeth and next to her Graham. To his left sat Will, placed directly across from Elizabeth, a fact that seemed to make Jack squirm with displeasure. Next to Will was Mina who was more then happy to sit across from her groom-to-be. Next was Gabe, followed by Jack. It seemed that they were trying to keep Will and Jack as far from each other as possible, using Mina and Gabe as guards in order to keep them from showing any signs of affection towards each other.

Will noticed it, he knew it, but the blacksmith seemed to be avoiding the matter. Why? Why not point out that they were being rude to them, to his family? Was he actually willing to be treated this way simply because he thought it was the polite thing to do?

The conversations seemed to match the atmosphere of the room painfully well; awkward with false politeness and well intend insults. Elizabeth then turned and smiled at Gabe. "I heard that you were married recently Gabriel," she said kindly. "Where is your wife?"

Graham muttered something under his breath and received at jab to the ribs from Elizabeth. Gabe sneered at him. "She's at home," he replied, still not pealing his eyes away from the slightly younger man. Jack had to hide his smirk. So he wasn't the only one getting fed up with the situation. "She didn't want to leave our daughter behind and felt she wasn't quite ready to make the trip."

"You have a child?" Elizabeth commented, a bit of surprise slipping into her words. It was as if she were amazed that Gabe could have children at all.

"Yes. A daughter. Two years old," Gabe seemed to slink in a bit at Elizabeth's astonishment.

"What's her name?" Norrington asked, noticing his wife's tone and how it seemed to have effected Gabe.

"Rosemary."

"No last name?" Elizabeth asked innocently. The table grew quite then. Jack and Will had never officially given their children a family name. Will had wanted to give the children his last name since he had a feeling that "Sparrow" wasn't even Jack's real name, but Jack felt that as the "father" the children should be given his name instead. Neither were willing to back down and the two eventually came to an agreement not to discuss it anymore.

Gabe licked his lips awkwardly. "Well... ugh," he stammered nervously. "Silvia, my wife, and I... we did see that as a bit of a problem when we were about to wed... so I made up a surname." When Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him, he continued. "I came up with a new name by putting the two names together. So... my full name would be 'Gabriel Sparrow-Turner'." He blushed slightly and looked down at his plate. The name wasn't very creative, but it was a name and it was better then having none.

Jack shook his son's shoulders slightly in order to comfort him. "Suppose that makes us all 'Sparrow-Turners' then," he said smirking. He liked the idea of having a label for his family.

"Except for Mina," Graham said a bit nervously. "Since she's going to be a Norrington soon."

Jack glared at the youngest Norrington for a moment before smiling falsely at him. "'Less she wants to keep 'err ole name," he said.

Mina looked thoughtful for a second. "I might," she said after awhile. "I never had a last name before and I do like Gabe's."

Graham seemed to pale in disappointment and fear. "B-but you and I are to wed," he said urgently. "As my wife, it's only right for you to take my name... so that we can pass it on to our children."

"The children can have your last name," she said sweetly. "I just want to keep this one for a little while. Maybe I'll take yours Graham, I just need to think about it for a bit."

Any fight that was left in the young sailor seemed to drain away as he gazed on Mina's smiling face. She had that effect on men. She could make a man's brain go to mush, making him abandon all logic and reason just to please her. "What ever you want," he said wistfully, leaning back in his chair a bit.

Norrington frowned at his son's love sick behavior. "You can't be serious Graham?" he began. "You're just going to end it like that?"

"Now now James," Jack slurred playfully, seeing this as a chance to finally act out. "We're guest. An' as such we should be allowed to do as we wish," he said getting up from his seat to move over between Mina and Will. Will gave him a desperate look, pleading with him not to do anything rash, but the pirate ignored it. "If Mina 'ere wants' ta keep 'err name, she can 'ave it." He gave his daughter a quick peck on the cheek for emphasis. He then turned and leaned over on Will's chair. The blacksmith stiffened at the action, praying that Jack wasn't about to do anything they'd regret.

"This isn't about being hospitable or not," Norrington continued, trying his best to look at Jack and not notice just how close he was to Will. "This is about family and tradition."

"Well that's _yer_ family an' _yer_ tradition," Jack interrupted. "But, ye see, in _my _family, we don't believe in tradition." As if to make his point, he grabbed Will's chin, bent over and kissed him full on the lips.

Will stiffened even more in his seat, grasping at the arm rest until his knuckles were white. His eyes widened as they darted around the room. Norrington stared at the two with a look of horror and surprise, as if he were looking at the scene of some horrible accident. Elizabeth sat there with her jaw set and her lips pressed into a thin line. She seemed to radiate with anger more then anything else. Graham was blushing widely, his eyes wide as if to memories the scene in front of him and store it away for future reference. He looked as if he'd not only never seen two men kiss before, but rather never seen anyone kiss so honestly and passionately before. Will's heart went out to him for a brief second, realizing that Graham was brought up in a loveless marriage. Elizabeth still had feelings for him, and from what he heard, only married James because he had managed to get her pregnant. It was a scandal, but right now he was involved in his own scandal.

He thought of pushing Jack off of him, but realized he'd be pushing him onto Mina. That wouldn't do. Will felt Jack's tongue slip out and caress his lips. His eyes fluttered in pleasure, but his body fought of the urge to responded. It was only when Mina reached over and toughed on Jack's belt that they finally broke the kiss. Jack straighten himself and smiled at the family across from his, licking his lips unconsciously as he went back to his seat. Gabe and Mina were red with embracement and Will didn't know if it was possible to be white with fear and red with anger at the same time.

His fingers twitched slightly as he relaxed them from their grasp on the arm rest of the chair. He had to fight the urge to touch his slightly swollen lips with his figure tips or even his tongue. He couldn't take it, couldn't take the eyes on him. He got up from the table with a start, pulling the table cloth back a bit with him, but he didn't care. He didn't even excuse himself as he rushed out of that room and up the stares.

* * *

**AN: **Sorry about this chapter being late and the spelling/grammer errors that may be in it, but I just wanted to post it because this story is going on hiatus. Don't worry, it won't be scrapted, but I just want to re-think the story abit and plot out what is going to happen next. Also, I'm starting a new slash project that will (once again) involve mpreg. I'm like the mpreg fairy now! 


	5. Ch 4: Waking From a Dream

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean, its story and characters, is owned by Walt Disney Pictures.

Chapter 4

Jack sighed as he made his way over to the balcony. He felt like relaxing and the calm air of the sea had always cleared his head. Even as far from the beach as the mansion was, Jack could still pick up the faintest sent of the ocean salt. He leaned over and rested his arms on the railing. He knew the way he had acted that night wasn't very appropriate, but he just couldn't help it. He had felt so damned frustrated with the way the Norringtons were treating them. How could he help but show that just because his family wasn't like theirs didn't mean they weren't a real family.

He straightened as his nose picked up a familiar yet strong sent that was not the ocean. He turned to his side realizing for the first time that he was not alone. He saw the faint glow of a match stick as it was lifted to the fat end of a cigar. He then realized that the cigar was held firmly between the lips of his own son. He raised his eye brows as the young man puffed on the cigar like it was a part of habit. His body seemed to relax a bit and a grin of satisfaction crossed his young face as he continued to puff on the cigar. Jack couldn't help but look at him as if he were six years old and had the cigar hanging from his lips. It was just so strange to see him smoking! It was even stranger then the first time Jack had caught Gabe drinking rum in a pub.

"Didn't know ye were a smoker, lad," Jack called over to him and was rewarded with a startled jump from Gabe as the young man finally took notice to his presence. He turned and stared at his father as if he'd been caught misbehaving, and in a way, he had! Jack smirked at his spitting image. "Share that there fag with yer ole man an' all will be forgiven."

Gabe smirked at him as he pulled the cigar out of his mouth and held it between his fingers in an experienced grasp. "What makes ye think I've forgive _ye!_" he shot back, a slight cloud of smoke floating out of his mouth.

Jack chuckled. "'Cause whelp, if ye don't share with me ye'll be gettin' an earful from yer Father, savvy?"

Gabe glared at Jack, seeing that the older man clearly had the upper hand on him. He placed the end of the cigar back in his mouth as he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out another one. He tossed it over to his dad and Jack caught it mid-air.

He smiled as he lifted the cigar under is nose and breathed in the strong smell of the tobacco. "I see ye've been holdin' out on me," he said jokingly as he motioned for a match. Gabe complied, striking the match on the railing and holding the flaming tip to the end of the cigar. When the tip began to smoke, Gabe shook out the match and threw it over the railing. Jack too a few puffs, letting the rich flavor swim in his mouth for a moment, before pulling out the cigar breathing out a cloud of smoke.

"Good stuff, ay?" Gabe asked, raising his eyebrows at him and smiling cheekily. He took a few puffs on his own cigar and stared out into the distance.

"Right good," Jack replied. "Too good for a mere blacksmith. Where'd ye get the fags from whelp?"

"Let's say I liberated them from someone who wasn't appreciatin' their fine quality." A smug smile graced the young pirate turned blacksmith's lips and Jack felt a swell of pride in him. He felt like kissing his son on the cheek, but didn't want to chance his luck that this father son moment of bonding was actually happening and wasn't just some wonderful dream. Instead, he settled for wrapping his arm around his shoulder.

"That's me boy," he said proudly as he patted the younger man's shoulder.

"Ah yes, like father like son, as they say." The two turned to see James strolling up beside them, an awkwardly smug grin on his face.

Gabe's grin disappeared and he fidgeted awkwardly in his father's half embrace. "Well, sir," he began nervously. "I can't help it if I take after my Dad, but I do take after my Father as well." Jack gave his son a sharp glare from the corner of his eye as he dropped his arm from his shoulder. Gabe slumped his shoulders in disappointment, but knew he deserved that.

"Well, young Master Sparrow... Turner, could you give your... 'Dad' and I a minute alone together?" Jack gave Norrington a questioning look as Gabe nervously complied and headed inside. "Do be careful not to smoke that inside." Norrington called over his shoulder to the young man's retreating form.

Jack puffed his cigar for a moment before pulling it out of his mouth to speak clearly. "What will ye be wantin' ta talk with me about, James?" He said the name with more then a bit of distaste, still feeling bitter about how he'd just been treated.

Norrington sighed as he pulled out a cigar from his own breast pocket and fumbled with it between his fingers. He turned to look at Jack for a moment. "You wouldn't happen to have a light would you?"

Jack shook his head. "He did," he said, nodding his head toward the direction that Gabe had disappeared to.

Norrington sighed and turned back to stare at the cigar in hand. "Pity," he mumbled as he continued to play with the cigar in his hands. There was a long moment of uneasy silence before Norrington finally spoke again. "I wanted to apologize..." he began uncomfortably, "for the way we acted tonight."

Jack stared at him, clearly taken aback by the former naval officer's words. "C-come again?" he said, his head still unable to taken the information it had just received.

Norrington sighed again, shutting his eyes in concentration. Clearly this wasn't easy for him. "The simplest way to put it is that you were right," he explained. "You and your family are guest here, and... well I haven't been a very good host now have I?" He chuckled quietly to himself, but Jack didn't see anything funny about the situation or what was just said. "It's just that... well I was... I am a bit-"

"Disgusted?" Jack finished for him, raising a questioning eyebrow at the other man.

Norrington shook his head and chuckled at Jack's words. There was a strange hitch to his laugh that made Jack think that the former military man was on the brink of tears. "If only that were the word I was looking for." He turned his head up to the sky above them, taking in a few shaky breaths before finally speaking. "No Sparrow, I'm not disgusted. I'm actually... jealous."

Jack coughed in surprise at the declaration. "'Jealous'?" he repeated after regaining his composure. "Yer jealous of _me_? Why?"

Norrington's eyes began to fill up with tears as he bit his lip and turned away from the pirate captain. His shoulders began to shake and his breathing became raged as he fought back the tears that he'd likely been holding inside for years. "Because..." he began, his voice shaking with emotion. "Because you get to be with someone you love... and have them love you back." He swallowed a few times before continuing. "I love Elizabeth... more then anything! But in the past nineteen years that we've been married she has never once shown any signs of returning my feelings.

"Am I a fool for believing that she would love me? That in time she would grow to except that I love her and that William never will?" The emotions seemed to have been too much for him to hold onto any longer as the man actually busted into tears right in front of Jack.

Jack just stood there with his mouth hanging open, his cigar barely hanging on the edge of his lip as he stared at the scene in front of him. He never knew that Norrington had such feelings, or any feelings at all! The man had always been so stiff and serious. He had shown on many occasions that he had a soft spot for Elizabeth, but he didn't know just how deep those feelings went.

Elizabeth was many things. She was beautiful, strong willed, but regrettably spoiled. As a child who grew up with wealth and privilege, it's not surprising to think that the girl is used to getting what ever she wanted and clearly she wanted Will. A part of her must have realized that it was now just an impossible dream to think that she had any kind of romantic future with the former blacksmith, but the stubborn part of her must have retained the hope that one day she'd find a way to be with him, even going as far as to hurt another person just to hold on to that dream. Did she love James at all? And what about their son? Did she not care for him, simply because his father wasn't Will?

Jack shook the thought from his head. Elizabeth wasn't a monster! How could anyone not love their own child? Still the blame couldn't be put on her either. She couldn't help it if her father spoiled her, and yet Jack couldn't find it in his heart to blame him either. Given the Governor's situation, raising a daughter alone, it wasn't surprising that he gave in to her every whim. Lord knows that if he could, Jack would have pulled the stars from the sky and gave them to his children if it made them happy.

No one was to blame and yet no matter what the out come was, if he had left Will alone and allowed him to marry Elizabeth, or if James had won out in the end and had gotten the object of his desires, his heart still would have been broken. His heart. Never would Jack have imagined that he would care if a navy man's heart was breaking. However, James was a human being. He had feelings just like everyone else, didn't he deserve to be loved too?

His heart seemed to constrict as a thought occurred to him, he was in James' situation once. When Will was on board the Pearl, pregnant with Gabe, there was a time that the younger man wouldn't let Jack go near him. His mere hint of affection would make Will uncomfortable, and even disgusted. There had been a time of panic in which Jack had thought Will would never return his love. That thought had scared him beyond belief and he realized now that he was lucky he didn't turn out like James.

He swallowed his pride and took a few uneasy steps over to the weeping man and patted his back comfortingly. "Yer not a fool mate," he said finally, trying his best to comfort the other man. "Ye were in love an' love can make ye blind to the truth. An' the truth is... well..."

"She loves Will," he sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I know. I know that now." He took a shaky breath as he turned and looked out toward the sea. "I just wish I hadn't wasted so many years on such a foolish dream." He looked at the sky as if searching for an answer. Something,_ anything_, to put his mind at easy. "Nineteen years! Nineteen wasted years of living a lie. Of a loveless marriage." He looked down at the ring on his fingered and felt the tears begin to well up in his eyes again. "You know, she never really wanted to marry me. I suppose I have William to thank for this marriage in more then just one way."

Jack raised his eyebrow at him. "What do ye mean?"

James laughed bitterly as he fingered the cigar again. "You don't know? _He _does, I suppose. Yes, I do think she told him all about it." He sighed and tapped the end of the cigar on the railing. "We search for him... Searched for William for quite sometime. Finally, after a year of searching, we all determined that he was dead. Few people return after being kidnapped, and the fact that there was no ransom note proved to us all that he had likely been killed in cold blood.

"Saying that Elizabeth was upset would be an understatement. She was _hysteric_! Nearly to the point of ending her own life. She wouldn't eat, sleep, or speak to anyone. Only stare. Stare out into the distance, out at the sea, as if she expected to see him return to her.

"One day, I came to visit. To comfort her in some small way. I can't really explain what happened next... it all still feels like a dream..." A small, wistful smile crept on to his face at the memory and Jack knew right away what had happened. "She found out she was pregnant a few months later. We were 'forced' to marry then, to keep her reputation clean. We simply told everyone that Graham was born early. They believed us... and we've been lying to everyone ever since."

"Does he know? Graham, I mean."

James' face fell, his shoulders slumped. "He knows we don't love each other. He learned that on his own, unfortunately. I hope he knows that we love him. There is that at least. I never really told him that, but I think he knows." He turned to Jack then, a pleading look in his dark blue eyes, and Jack couldn't help but feel sorry for the lonely man. "What do I do now?" he asked, he looked so very much like a lost child that Jack couldn't bare to look at him anymore.

"Ye had a dream mate," he said after a moment of silence. "Now ye just 'ave ta wake up."

* * *

Will laid on his bed, practically foaming with anger as he played the events of just a few minutes ago over in his head. He couldn't believe that Jack would actually embarrass him like that in front of their future in-laws!

_Honestly! And he says I'm the one that does stupid things._

He turned to his side stared at the wall of the guest bedroom that he'd be sharing with Jack. It was a large white room, elegantly decorated with matching furniture. The bed he rested on was large enough for nearly three people to sleep comfortably and as soft as a cloud would feel. The frame was of a dark wood that Will couldn't quite name at the moment but the dresser to the right of him and the nightstand to the left seemed to be made out of it as well. A vase of lilies was placed on top of the nightstand and seemed to fill the whole room with their sweet sent. The window that was open just slightly was let in the smell of the night air and Will shivered slightly at the gentle breeze. He stared at the white curtains as they seemingly danced right in front of his eyes. He was so caught up in the action that he didn't hear the knocking on the bedroom door.

His back was facing the door, so he did not see the door knob turn or the figure quietly enter the room. He was only aware of the other's presence when they kneeled on the soft mattress next to him. He sighed in annoyance, assuming that the other was Jack.

"Unless you have come to apologize, you will be getting nothing out of me tonight," he said firmly as he closed his eyes tightly to completely shut Jack out.

He stiffened, however, when a pair of soft full lips pressed gently against his cheek and a smooth thin hand began to caress his leg. He knew right away that he had completely missed his guess and this person was most certainly not Jack.

"Actually," Elizabeth purred, her voice was husky and low with lust, "I've come to make up for lost time."

AN: I am not a smoker (if you are a smoker then you can probably tell that by the way I wrote that scene) and I'm not supporting/promoting the use of cigars/cigarettes. I merely wrote that in because I felt like it.


	6. Ch 5: Things Change

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean, its story and characters, is owned by Walt Disney Pictures.

Chapter 5

Graham laid flopped down on the bed, staring up at the canopy above him as Mina sat in front of the mirror brushing her light brown hair. The light shimmered off of the light brown curls as the hair straightened and re-coiled as the bristles of the brush ran through the strands. He had to force himself not to look at her, for fear that he'll lose all thoughts as he stared at her. She was so beautiful. She wore only a large white nightshirt, that went to her mid thigh, the rest of it was large and lose, covering everything. Still, the sight of those long, shapely legs and the knowledge of what was underneath the loose fabric was enough to drive him wild.

He wore his own nightshirt, but had it hidden underneath a large robe that was wrapped tightly around his waist. He fingered the tail end of the belt as he listened to Mina humming softly as she brushed her hair. "Are they always like that?" he asked idly.

She didn't stop or even turn to look at him. "Who?" she asked.

"Your parents," he elaborated. "Are they always that... intimate?"

She giggled softly, and he felt a trail of goose bumps run up and down his flesh. "Not _all_ the time," she explained. "I don't really know why Dad acted like that, but usually, when we're around other people, Father doesn't like to be that intimate." She shrugged her delicate shoulders and caused the soft curls resting on them to bounce slightly. "I guess he was a little upset about dinner," she added softly, laying the brush down on the nightstand.

"It must have been wonderful," he said quietly, a bit of envy dripping into his tone. "Being with parents that are that affectionate, I mean. No wonder your so open about your feelings."

She turned to look at her fiancée then, pity present in her clear chocolate eyes. "Gram-Gram," she said softly, using her pet name for him. Mina knew what it did to him. Usually anytime he was upset about something, she'd just have to kiss his cheek or call him by that name and it'd be all better. It didn't work this time however.

Graham rolled over on the bed to face the opposite wall, not wanting to meet her gaze. He didn't really want to be comforted right now. He wanted to be angry and get this off of his chest. "I'm afraid I don't even know what it's like to be loving or affectionate. But you do. You're used to it. You're used to 'I love you's' and kisses and the like... I'm not… it's not proper." He curled slightly on to his side, feeling a well of emotions tighten his throat. This wasn't appropriate for a man of his status. "You deserve someone who can show you this type of emotion. Someone who can hold your hand or kiss your cheek without blushing like a fool."

Graham felt a dip in the mattress as Mina climbed in next to him, wrapping her tanned arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulders. He shuddered as the sweet smelling hair from on top of her head brushed against his cheek and the heel of his foot touched the smooth skin on her leg. "Do you love me Graham?" she asked him in a hushed voice.

"Yes," he replied breathlessly, feeling the goose bumps form on his flesh again.

Her soft, full lips pressed gently against his cheek, lingering for a few wonderful seconds. His eyes almost fluttered shut from the pleasure he felt. "And I love you," she said, her lips brushing against his cheek as she said so. "That's all that really matters. I know you have a hard time with things like this in public, but we can get past that. I can teach you to be intimate." She pressed her smaller body against his in a strange, yet wonderful, embrace.

He loved her so much. She was sweet, strong, and above all beautiful. He didn't deserve her, but he couldn't help but want her. He felt his member stir and respond to her touch. _Wait,_ he told himself forcefully. _Just wait._

* * *

Will nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt Elizabeth's soft lips press against his cheek. His mind was racing and he couldn't think. He turned around abruptly, his eyes wide with surprise as he looked at the beautiful woman laying next to him on his bed. Her golden brown hair was loose and resting on her shoulders on top of her soft white robe. The robe was made of silk with soft, silver looking roses embroider into the fabric. It hung open slightly, resting on her pale arms and exposing the soft white nightgown that she wore underneath. The straps hung loosely on her shoulders and seemed to be made of silk. She looked at him with half lidded eyes and her full lips pursed.

Will found himself breathing harder. He was surprised when his body seemed to react to her. His hands flinched and his fingers ticked with the need to rub up and down that soft skin. Her face, her body, everything about her was driving him wild. It was as if he'd been sent back in time, to when he was only a boy of eighteen and this very situation had been his dream.

She smiled at him, noticing that he was reacting just as she had planned. Leaning over, she pressed her small body against him, her face pressed close to his. Will felt his eyes widen and a gasp escape his lips, but he didn't move. He didn't seem to be able to. Her lips brushed over his as she mumbled his name, her voice low and seductive, and before he knew it he was kissing Elizabeth.

It was everything she'd dreamed of for the past twenty years. His lips pressed against hers, feeling just as it had the very first time. Just as right, just as beautiful. She'd never forget how amazed she was the first time she had pressed her lips to his and found that they were as soft as rose petals. She wondered now if she had been the first one to claim those lips or had that pirate stolen that from her as well. Just as he had stolen Will himself.

Will stiffened uneasily, as if realizing what was happening to him. He gently rested his hand on Elizabeth's shoulder and slowly pushed her away. She stared at him for a moment in confusion, but the firm yet sympathetic look in his eyes told her everything. "Elizabeth," he began. He bit down on his lower lip for a second, trying to think of what to say. "I... I can't," he said after a while. He shook his head sadly at her and then turned away, unable to take the confused look on her beautiful face. "This isn't right."

"Why?" she blurted out hurriedly. "Don't you want me?"

"Not in that way..." he said, his eyes still down cast. "Not anymore."

She simply stared at him, unable to process what he was saying to her. "I don't understand..." her voice was small, barely above a whisper.

"Things have changed between us Elizabeth," he explained. "I have two children now, that I love dearly, and then there is Jack-"

Elizabeth snorted at the mention of the pirates name. "_Him,_" she scoffed, a frown creasing her delicate features. "None of this would have happened if it hadn't been for _him._ Bloody pirate."

"I love him," Will said fiercely, staring her right in the eyes. He didn't like how she had been treating Jack this whole evening. Everything she had been saying to him and their children had seemed so back handed, and now she actually had the nerve to insult his man right in front of him. "I love him, Elizabeth, and I know that that fact upsets you, but it's something that you will simply have to live with.

"Maybe things could have been different. Had we had the chance to wed, we may have been happy together. But that's all in the past now. There's no chance of us being together any longer. I'm sorry, but that's simply how it is."

Her fair face seemed to crumple right before his very eyes as he spoke those words. She seemed so much smaller now, so much younger. It was almost as if he'd just slapped a china doll. He knew it was harsh, but it had to be said. "So that's it then...?" she asked meekly in disbelief. Her brown eyes began to brim with tears. "This is how it ends is it?"

"Elizabeth-" he began but was cut off by a mere wave of her hand.

"No, I understand. I'm alright," she said, but it was clear from her tone that she wasn't. "It's just that..." Her slim shoulders began to shake as she bowed her head and Will could tell right away that she was crying. "I've waited... _so long_ for this... and now... and now..."

Will felt very uncomfortable at that moment. He felt like kicking himself. How could he be so cruel? This woman loved him, and he had loved her once, and yet he was treating her so harshly. He awkwardly pulled her into a comforting embrace, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Elizabeth," he murmured to her, trying his best to ease her frantic nerves. "I didn't mean to upset you so."

"Oh Will," she sobbed. "You don't understand what it's like for me. I didn't want to marry him, but I was so upset over you that... that... I couldn't think straight! And before I knew it, I was... pregnant."

"I know," he said. He had heard the story before, at their first reunion. It was eerily similar to what had happened to him. He never wanted to go to bed with Jack, but he was so upset and worried about Elizabeth that he allowed himself to get drunk and in his intoxicated state, he was easily talked into Jack's bed. However, he had fallen in love with Jack after a while, Elizabeth didn't return James' feelings. She held on to her dream of reuniting with him. _I suppose she has a stronger will then I,_ he thought. "And I do know. I do know what it's like Elizabeth, to be forced into something against your will, but you didn't have to marry him. You still had a choice, but you made the wrong one, and now you'll have to live with that and find your own way out of this situation."

She stared up at him, with red puffy eyes pleadingly. "What should I do?" she whispered.

He kissed her forehead briefly. "I'm sorry, I don't know either. Only you can truly know what the right choice is."

She smiled up at him tiredly before pulling away and wiping at her tear stained cheek. "I suppose you're right Will," she said. "This is my problem, and I'll have to deal with it." She got up rather abruptly, the soft fabric of her robe and nightgown shimmered around her as they fell back into place. "I'll leave you to your rest. Goodnight Will," she said as she headed toward the door.

"Goodnight, Elizabeth," he called, just as she quietly closed the door.

He flopped back down on the mattress with a sigh. He couldn't have closed his eyes for more then a few minutes before Jack came in. The pirate crawled over to him and wrapped his arms around the younger man's waist, nuzzling at his neck. Will smiled, but turned away from him. "Not tonight Jack," he murmured tiredly.

Jack frowned at him and peered over his shoulder to glance at his face. "Why's that, luv?"

Will chuckled at him. "Do you really expect me to sleep with you after the way you acted tonight?"


	7. Ch 6: The M Word

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean, its story and characters, is owned by Walt Disney Pictures.

Chapter 6

"What about this fabric Father?" Mina said as she headed over to an expensive looking silk fabric with soft white flowers sewn in. The fabric shimmered in the sunlight and he knew that it would look just beautiful on his daughter, but he was certain that it was going to be very expensive.

Will bit down on his lower lip. "It's beautiful darling," he said, "but I think it might be a bit too expensive."

Mina looked up at him, her eyes wide with confusion as she quirked her head to the side. "What do you mean?" she asked innocently. How one could live most of their life on a pirate ship and still manage to be the very picture of innocence was still a wonder to him. "It isn't as though _we're _goin' ta be payin' for it, Graham's mum and dad will."

"I know sweet heart," he said softly, "but I don't want them to think that we're taking advantage of them." He moved over to a slightly plainer and more reasonably priced cloth. "What about this one? It could be made into a lovely dress I'm sure."

Mina pouted, fingering the pattern that she had chosen. "I want this one," she whined softly. "It's my _wedding dress_, Father. I'll only get to wear it once! Doesn't that give me the right to get the best fabric I can find?"

Will sighed, rolling his eyes at her. "I suppose," he groaned. "Why did you even drag me here? I'm no good at this sort of thing. I'm not a woman and I know nothing of dresses and the like."

She had gotten him up early this morning to go look at dress patterns and fabrics, and later they were to look at dishes that would be set up at the reception. He didn't feel right doing this sort of thing with her, it wasn't something he was used to. Will had never been a part of high society and had never been married before. When he had been engaged to Elizabeth, he had left all the wedding preparations to her, which seemed to be what Graham was doing.

Mina sighed, looking down sadly at the pattern. "I just ... I don't know."

"You could have had Mrs. Norrington help you with this," he suggested. "She knows a lot more about this sort of thing then I do. She even did a wonderful job of helping to dress you. At least, she did that night we all had dinner together." Today Mina was dressed in her usual attire, a pair of slightly worn brown pants, a long white shirt and a brownish sash around her waist to act as a belt. On Will's insistence she had agreed to wear shoes.

Even dressed in male clothes she looked lovely, but to Will, Mina would look beautiful even if she wore a potato sack. Still, that dress she had worn a few nights ago made her look even prettier. It was the first time in many years that Mina had worn a dress. The last time being when she was only but eight years old and had decided that she wanted to wear pants like everyone else and he let her. Who was he to deny his daughter anything? Besides, it made things a bit easier for him.

_

* * *

Will sighed as he pulled out the light blue dress that he had bought for Mina. He didn't want to have to deal with dressing her, but she was only four years old and didn't know how to do it herself. He was already twenty-five __years old and _he _didn't even know how to do this himself yet!_

Such is the magic of having little a girl and no mother,_ he thought bitterly._

Such is the magic of having little a girl and no mother, 

_Grabbing his daughter, he made her stand up for him as he lifted the dress over her head. "Put your arms up for me, darling," he said sweetly, hiding the tired annoyance in his voice with gentle love. It wasn't Mina's fault that she was a girl, so there was no need to take out his incompetence on her. He wished then that he had taken more of an interest in women. Had he ever had the chance to undress a girl, it would have probably helped him in dressing his daughter._

_"Okay momma," she said quietly as she did as she was told._

_Will had to stifle his sigh at the word "momma". He hated that term. He wasn't a mother! Even if he did carry his children inside of him for nine months, that still didn't make him a woman!_

_He struggled to get Mina's head threw the right hole, wondering if she was even past the ruffles underneath the dress. He managed to get her arms threw the sleeves and was struggling to find neck whole. He stopped mid way, remembering that he forgot to put on her little slip. Groaning, he ripped the dress back off of her, throwing it to the ground carelessly._

_"Idiot!" He scolded himself and was surprised to hear soft sniffs coming from the side of him. He turned to see Mina's brown eyes welling up with tears. "No," he said gently, pulling her little body towards him into a comforting embrace. "No baby, it's alright. Momma wasn't talking to you." He wanted to kick himself. Not only had he made his baby girl cry, but he called himself "momma"._

_Just then, Jack came in threw the door and raised an eyebrow at the scene before him. "What's all this then?" he asked, indicating at the crying toddler in Will's arms._

_"I'm trying to put Mina's cloths on," Will grumbled._

_Jack smirked, shaking his head at the two. "Well, yer not doin' a very good job at it," he joked referring to the fact that the little girl was still half naked._

_Will's brow furrowed at him in annoyance and frustration. "I know!" he groaned and was rewarded with Mina's sobs getting louder._

_Jack sighed, taking the little girl in his arms. "'S alright, luv," he cooed, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "Let yer ol' Papa help ye get yer pretty lil dress on, eh." Will watched dumb struck as Jack managed to dress the girl without any trouble at all. When he was done, the pirate merely kissed the little girl's cheek and told her to go play with her brother on the deck._

_"Thank you papa," she said happily as she hurried out the room._

_Will felt tears of frustration well up in his eyes. He bowed his head down as he began to sob._

_Jack rushed over to his side and wrapped a comforting arm around the young man's shoulder. "There there, luv," he soothed. "There's no need for this."_

_"I'm a horrible parent!" Will moaned as he burst into tears. "I can't even put my daughter's dress on!"_

_"Well, ye haven't had as much experience as me, lad," Jack offered._

_Will groaned and leaned into Jack's embrace. There was no real excuse for his incompetence. His daughter was four years old, _four,_ and yet he couldn't even put her dress on, let alone braid her hair and he was barely able to tie the ribbons on the ends. It was simply ridiculous._

* * *

"I don't want Mrs. Norrington's help," Mina said, startling Will back to the present. "She's ... she's a nice lady, but she's not my mother." 

It dawned on Will then what she meant. This was the type of thing that girls did with their mother. His heart clenched and he felt a lump form in his throat. He looked down at his shoes sadly. He had always felt guilty about the fact that Gabe and Mina would never have a real mother. He may have been the closet thing they had, but he simply wasn't good enough, especially for Mina. A girl needed another woman to look up to, to turn to for guidance and assistance with things that a man simply couldn't understand.

Will swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Mina," he began quietly, "do ... do you ever regret not having a mother?"

Mina looked up at him started. "No!" she exclaimed in surprise. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest. "No, of course not Father! That's not what I meant at all! I love you!"

Will sighed, wrapping his arms around her slim waist and resting his cheek on top of her soft brown hair. "What did you mean then?"

"I ... I don't know," she began, trying her best to find the right words. "I just ... your the closet thing I have to a mother, weather you want to admit it or not, and I just ... wanted to do this with you. It wouldn't be the same with Mrs. Norrington."

Will chuckled slightly at her words. For years he had hated being referred to as a "mother" or "momma", and yet, right now he couldn't be happier to hear those words from his daughter. He kissed the top of her head and pulled back slightly so that he could look her in the eyes. He smiled down at her, cupping her chin in his hand and tilting her face upward. "I understand darling," he said softly. "I'm sorry. Let's just get back to picking out your dress. You can use whatever pattern you want, I'll not say a word."

She smiled up at him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you Father."

**AN:** Corny I know, but Jack and Gabe got a "father-son" moment, so I thought it'd only be right for Mina and Will to get a little "mother-daughter" type thing.


	8. Ch 7: Having at it

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean, its story and characters, are owned by Walt Disney Pictures.

Chapter 7

Gabe stiffened and flinched unconsciously as the tailor came over to him with the measuring tape. "Mr. Sparrow-Turner, _please_ stop doing that," the tailor groaned in annoyance. "For the last time, this is how I measure pants."

Gabe blushed slightly at the tailor's words and his own actions. "Sorry mate," he said awkwardly. "Never really had a pair of pants made 'specially for me."

"That's for bloody sure, whelp," Jack heckled from a nearby chair as he watched his son flinch at the tailor's approaching hands yet again. "Calm down lad. 'Sn't like ye've never been touched afore. Just one ol' man."

Gabe frowned at his father, sending him an annoyed look. "Why aren't ye gettin' tailored?" he asked in frustration. "Yer goin' ta be at this weddin' too!"

"Yes but I won't be _in_ the weddin' now will I?" Jack returned playfully.

Graham just stood there and watched the exchange between the two pirates. Mina had asked him to spend some time with his future brother and father-in-law and figured that it was the perfect time to get Gabe fitted for his tux. Graham had refused to spend time with the two alone, knowing good and well that neither man liked him in the least, so he had begged his father to come with them. Thankfully, James excepted.

Still, he couldn't get over the way they were behaving. Gabe was speaking to his "Dad" with the type of casual attitude that one used with a friend, or a brother! It wasn't right or proper, yet they acted as if it were natural. _Pirates,_ he concluded.

"Yer the father, ain't ye?" Gabe continued, trying to ignore the tailor's hands measuring his legs. "Ain't ye supposed to walk the bride down the isle?"

Jack snorted at his son playfully and stuck his chin out at him. "Shut yer hole whelp," he said teased as he went back to back in his chair.

James and Graham shared a quick glance of confusion. It was so strange that they could talk and treat each other that way. When Graham turned his head back to look at Gabe, he was making a rather vulgar gesture at the older pirate. Graham felt the color in his face drain, he couldn't believe that Gabe had done that. He knew that the other young man was a pirate, but he assumed that he had been raised slightly better then that.

"What do you think your doing?" Graham practically shrieked at the blacksmith.

"Relax," Gabe said as the tailor turned and headed toward Norrington, whispering something in his ear before both of them left the room, leaving the three alone. This was exactly what Graham had feared. "No body saw it, but you, me dad, and I."

Graham felt his jaw drop open with shock. "And that makes it all better?" he asked in disbelief.

"Calm down, whelp," Jack said, leaning forward so that he could get a better look a Graham. "No harm done. I know the lad was only havin' his fun."

"Fun? He disrespected you and you're just going to sit there and take it."

Jack laughed lightly at the junior officer's words. "He knows whose boss. Long as we can have our fun an' talk like chums, everythin's fine. No worries."

Graham felt his eye tick at the words. "'No worries'?" he repeated in disbelief. "Typical. Pirates." He had meant to only think the words to himself, but his mind was so muddled that they came out anyway.

He heard a thud as Gabe leapt off the stood he had been standing on and took a step closer toward him. "What was that?" he asked, clearly annoyed himself as his brow furrowed slightly and a look of anger crossed his face.

"Easy son," Jack said attempting to calm the young man down, but still not bothering to stand up.

Gabe grabbed the slightly younger man by his collar and pulled him towards him, lifting him an inch above the ground. Since when did pirates get so strong? "Listen, Graham," he half growled. "Ye've been mumblin' stuff about me and me dad for as long as we've been here. So why don' ye grow a pair and tell us what ye've been sayin' behind our backs? Or did they for get to teach ye how to be a man in all them fancy school's o' yers?"

Anger began to bubble up inside of the naval officer. He hated Gabe, he had hated him since they had first met, and he wasn't going to let him push him around anymore. He was stronger now, stronger then when they were children. He was a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy; he was not a man to be bullied anymore. "Your nothing more then a bloody savage, _pirate!_" He spat out in disgust.

He was rewarded with a look of shock and surprise as Gabe slowly put him back down on his feet. He felt a wave of pride wash over him and almost cracked a smug smile until Gabe's right fist slammed into his nose. He stumbled backward a few steps before doubling over in pain, cupping his injured face. A rush of adrenaline over took him and he balled up his fist and managed to connect with Gabe's jaw. He had never thrown a punch before and was shocked at the intense pain. It was like he had slammed his fist into a wall. His whole hand stung with pain. He turned to glance over at Gabe only to have the older boy punch him in the gut. He almost gasped, but it was caught in his throat, he looked up only to have the tip of Gabe's boot connect with his chin, sending him flying backward and out of consciousness.

_

* * *

"Please! Stop!" Graham cried, using his arms to shield himself from further assault. He tasted blood in his mouth and he could have sworn that his cheek was growing larger. He cowered in fear as the older boy towered over him._

_"Just what do you think you were doing with my sister?" he demanded, cradling his sore hand in to his chest, trying not to look like he was in too much pain. _

_"N-nothing," he said honestly. He didn't understand what he had done wrong. One minute he was about to kiss the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen and the next he was on the ground cowering in fear. _

_"Gabe!" Mina whined from beside her brother, tugging at his shirt sleeve. "Leave him alone!"_

_Gabe turned toward his sister and then back toward the boy lying on the ground. He sighed grabbing her hand and leading her back to the house. He had learned his lesson. "Stay away from my sister," he called from over his shoulder._

_Graham sniffed sitting up on the ground. He touched a hand to his sore cheek and winced in pain. He decided then that he didn't like Gabriel. The very name brought a feeling a fear and anger inside of him. He swore to himself that he would never allow the other boy to beat him like that ever again. If he did, then he had no right to even be near Mina._

* * *

"Graham! Graham!" 

Graham's eyes fluttered open as he stared at the worried face of his father realizing that he was being held in his arms. "F-Father?" he managed to croak out, his head was pounding and he couldn't think straight. His whole face was sore and his stomach and hand hurt.

James breathed a sigh of relief, and he smiled down at the boy. He wanted to hug his son, kiss his forehead and tell him that everything was going to be alright, but he held back those urges. He couldn't show that type of affection in public, it wouldn't be right. Instead he settled for tightening his hold on the young man before turning to glare over at Jack and Gabe.

"Why the bloody hell didn't you interfere, Sparrow?" he asked, practically growled.

Jack smiled cheekily at the former naval officer. The truth was that he didn't _want_ to break up the fight. He knew it would have been the right thing to do, but he couldn't stand Graham and was happy to see Gabe beating the smug look off of his stuffy face. That's what he got for stealing his daughter away from him. "Thought it was best if they just ... had at it," he lied, shrugging his shoulders.

James' frowned deepen as he unconsciously held his son tighter. "I should have you both _hung_ for this," he sneered.

Graham raised his hand clumsily, silencing his father. "It's alright Father," he managed to say. "I'm... I'm fine..."

James raised a quizzical eyebrow at his son. "Are you sure?"

Graham nodded and then winced, regretting the gesture instantly. "Can... can I have a moment alone? With Gabe?"

The other three men in the room raised their brows at him, all taken aback by the comment, but no one more so then Gabe himself. Gabe had to fight back the urge to look around the room and see if there was another man their named "Gabe". Instead he settled for complying with the younger man's wishes. James and Jack stepped outside reluctantly, James giving Gabe a warning glance and Jack just giving him a look that didn't really say much anything. When the two were finally alone. Gabe turned and glared at Graham, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Alright chum. What's it ye want ta talk about?" he asked suspiciously.

Graham struggled to his feet, feeling very unsteady and clumsy. He managed to get his legs to hold his weight and tried his best to look Gabe in the eyes. "I just wanted to tell you... that you've won."

Gabe blinked twice and felt his eyes widen slightly. Did he just hear right? He'd "won"? "Won" what? "What do ye mean by that?" he asked, feeling even more suspicious then before.

"I mean that..." Graham paused, taking in a deep breath, both because he was feeling dizzy and because his next words were proving rather difficult to force out. "I'll not be marring your sister."

Gabe felt his jaw drop to the floor, his heart beating faster and slower at once. This couldn't be happening. His words couldn't possibly be sincere. "Why?" he asked simply, his voice surprisingly small.

Graham was about to shake his head but decided against it. He was still bleeding from his nose and his face was throbbing. He simply wanted to get all of this out in the open before he blacked out again. "I'm not strong enough..." he admitted. "I... I can't take care of her. When we were young... I promised myself that I would never let you beat me again. I told myself that if ever you were to do such a thing to me again... well, I would just give up on her.

"I have been having my doubts for quite sometime now anyway. I am no good with emotion, I can't even hold her hand with out blushing like a fool, and now I am too weak to protect her." He sighed, feeling very tired. "She deserves a real man, not someone like me. I care for her too much to let her suffer with me."

Gabe sighed, shaking his head at him. This was what he had always thought he'd wanted, but now that it was presented in front of him, he knew that it was wrong. Graham loved Mina and Mina loved Graham. It would break his sister's heart if he were to leave her like this. He couldn't let that happen. He placed a heavy hand on top of Graham's shoulders, feeling very awkward in doing so, and from the way Graham stiffened he must have felt the same. "Not gonna lie to ye Graham, I don't much care for ye," he said honestly. "But _she does,_ and well... yer not _too bad_ a guy. She could do much worse then settle down with ye. Seen her bat them eyes of hers at many a low life scum and compared to them, yer a bloody saint! Guess I been givin' ye a hard time just 'cause I'm her brother. It's my job... sort of. So... don't go givin' up on her just yet, savvy?"

Graham couldn't believe his ears. Gabe actually _wanted_ him to marry his sister! He must have been hallucinating from the lose of blood. "But... I _lost_ to you!"

"Wasn't a fair fight that much I'll admit. I mean, ye've never _actually_ been in an honest to goodness fist fight before have ye?" Gabe paused as Graham shook his head, and then continued. "Well, ye see! I've been in many a brawl before and it's not fair for someone like me to hassle a beginner, but if it really means that much to ye... I'll teach ye to fight myself."

"Would you?"

Gabe nodded in conformation. "Swear on me honor... blacksmith's honor if that makes ye feel better." He offered his hand out to the slightly younger man who smiled and shook it eagerly.

"Thank you... brother."

Gabe frowned at the word. "Don't ye be callin' me that."


	9. Ch 8: The Finale

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean, its story and characters, are owned by Walt Disney Pictures.

**AN: **Don't really know much about wedding ceremonies, especially during this period, some I'm going to kind of wing it.

Chapter 8

The big day had arrived at last. Today was finally the day that Graham and Mina were to wed and Will couldn't remember feeling worse in his entire life. The moment he had gotten up that morning he was gripped by a wave of nausea like he had never felt before. He'd spent at least a good half hour battling his bouts of sickness and now he sat hunched over in his chair in Mina dressing room, looking very pale and feeling incredibly weak.

Mina crouched by his side and looked up at her father with worried eyes. "Are you alright Father?" she asked him.

Will nodded slightly and regretted it immediately. His head was pounding and the slightest sound or movement was enough to make him wince. "I'm just fine darling," he lied, giving her a weak smile. "Don't you bother with me, this is _your_ day. Now why don't you finish getting dressed?"

"But-" Mina began, still too concerned for her father to even think about anything else.

Elizabeth came up behind her then, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He's right," she said. "You get dressed and I'll tend to your father." Mina nodded reluctantly and went over to the servant girls that Elizabeth had hired to help her soon to be daughter-in-law put on her wedding dress. Elizabeth frowned slightly as she turned her attention back to Will. She placed the back of her bare hand on his forehead was shocked by how warm it felt. "Goodness Will," she exclaimed in a hushed tone. "You're burning up. Do you need to see a doctor?"

"No," he insisted stubbornly. "There's no time. The ceremony will be starting soon and I need to be there to walk Mina down the isle." He got up shakily, holding his midsection slightly. "I'll just go get some... fresh air," he said heading out towards the hall way.

* * *

Graham couldn't remember the last time he had felt so nervous, he felt almost sick with dread. In only a few minutes he would be marrying the love of his life. He suddenly felt like he was making a mistake. He loved Mina dearly, but he felt now that the moment was quickly approaching that things were moving too fast. They were only children. How could he even think to get married now? 

_What if we become like Mother and Father?_ he panicked. _What if she wakes up one morning and decides she doesn't love me anymore._ He could never stop loving Mina, he knew that for a fact, but the girl was so wonderful and perfect that it would make complete and utter since if she would stop loving him.

He fingered the metals and awards that he wore on his uniform nervously, a habit he had during stressful times such as this. Was he really ready to make this commitment?

Just then, the door to his dressing room opened and his head shot up immediately. He had asked for sometime alone and for no one to bother him, but apparently who ever was coming in had ignored that request. His face paled slightly and stomach clenched as Jack and Gabe strode into the room. Gabe closed the door behind him and stood in front of it with his arms crossed over his chest as if to block anyone from coming in or getting out.

Graham was on his feet in an instant, preparing himself to move as quickly as possible if necessary. If Jack noticed how nervous he was he didn't show it, instead he only smiled pleasantly as he approached him. "Hello Graham," he said in a chipper tone. Graham felt himself break out into a sweat at his words. He was planning something. "How ye feelin' lad? Nervous?"

Graham nodded awkwardly. "A bit," he admitted his voice much smaller then he would have liked.

Jack's smile only widened as he placed his hands on the young man's shoulder fondly. He chuckled and Graham looked over his shoulder at Gabe who was still standing there, still and emotionless. He wondered if Jack had taught his son how to intimidate people like that. Captain Sparrow himself wasn't very intimidating most of the time, but his reputation was and it was likely that having other people around to scare victims helped to intensify the rumors about him.

"It's perfectly natural to be nervous lad," he said comfortingly. "Ye needn't worry though. Ye're 'bout to get married to a wonderful girl, an' I just wanted ta have a talk with ye 'bout that li'l girl." Jack's demeanor changed from friendly to malevolent in a heart beat and before Graham could even gasp the older pirate was grabbing his dress uniform roughly by the collar and pulling him a mere breath away from his face. His dark brown eyes were black with hate and there seemed a fiery passion burning underneath them. "Ye listen ta me, ye worthless piece of shite," Jack growled, his teeth bore in a wolfish manner. They almost looked like fangs in Graham's panicked state. "I don't like ye, I'll_ never_ like ye, and I don't give a rat's arse who yer daddy is, 'cause if ye so much as make me li'l girl shed one bloody tear, I'll gut ye from stem to stern. I'll rip out yer eyes and shove 'em up yer arse. I'll cut ye up so bad yer own mum won't come near ye, ye understand me?" Graham nodded weakly, knowing good and well that Captain Jack Sparrow would certainly make good on his promises. "Good," Jack said, his tone returning to the friendly manor it had once been. He roughly shoved Graham back to the chair he had been sitting in and turned toward Gabe. "Ye've got anythin' ta say lad?" he asked.

Gabe shook his head at his father. "He knows what I can do," he stated, and Graham _did _know what he could do.

"Alright," Jack said and turned to smile back at Graham. It wasn't half as venomous as the one he'd flashed the navy man a moment ago, but it's good natured warmth made it even more frightening. "See ye in a moment lad." With that he and Gabe left the room, leaving Graham's head reeling.

* * *

Will stood hunched over the balcony, taking in deep breaths of fresh air. His head was spinning and he was certain that he was going to vomit again any second now. _What wonderful timing,_ he thought bitterly. Only a few moments before the ceremony was to begin and he was fighting off nausea. 

"William?" he heard James' voice call from behind him. He turned around weakly and looked at the older man, feeling to drained to even force a false smile. "Are you alright?" he asked as he placed a hand on the sick man's shoulder.

"Fine," he breathed. "Just feeling a bit sick is all."

"'A bit sick'?" James repeated, raising an eyebrow at him. "You look positively green."

"It's nothing, really," he lied and had to turn away from James' intense worried gaze. He wasn't alright and he knew it, but that didn't mean that the man that had once been his rival for the affection of a certain woman had to fuss over him. He felt himself flush slightly at the thought, strange how sicknesses could make people who usually ignore you take pity on you.

"Do you need to see a doctor?"

"No," Will replied meekly. "I'm fine. I know what it is. I'm just a bit... embarrassed is all."

"Embarrassed of being sick?"

Will was about to reply, to confide in the other man what the cause of his troubles was, when he heard Jack's worried voice. "Will," the pirate said, hurrying over toward the former blacksmith. He took the younger man in his arms and held him protectively. Will flushed slightly at the gesture, he didn't like to show such affection in front of others. "Ye alright, luv? Ye look awful."

Will chuckled slightly at his words. "I'll admit to having better days but I don't think I look _that _bad."

Jack smiled and kissed his forehead noticing how warm it was. "Do ye need anythin', luv? Some water perhaps?"

"No, I'm fine really."

"Uhh... Dad? Father?" Gabe interrupted, grabbing the attention of the older men. "They're gettin' ready to start."

James nodded and turned away from the couple, feeling very much like an intruder in front of such an intimate display. "I'll go inform the others," he said hurrying away.

Jack turned back to Will, giving him a concerned look. "Ye can just sit this one out if ye like, luv," he said. "I'm sure Mina will understand."

Will kissed his cheek and shook his head slightly. "I don't think so Jack. I'll be alright. It's just," he paused biting down on his lower lip nervously. "I-I have something that I need to tell you. After the ceremony."

Jack raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing and lead Will inside the church.

* * *

The ceremony had gone off with out a hitch. Everything was perfect. Mina looked positively lovely in her wedding dress, her train having been nearly two yards long and needing the assistance of two bride's maids to help carry it. She was walked down the isle by both Jack and Will, who was feeling much better at the time. Although, when they reach the priest, Jack had a bit of trouble actually letting _go_ of Mina's hand, but Will helped him to actually sit down, holding his hands tightly so that the pirate wouldn't make a scene. 

Everything else went as planed, until the time to recite the vows, when Graham decided to say something instead.

"Wilhelmina," he began, surprising his bride slightly by the use of her full name. "I'm not a perfect man. I'm no good with showing affection, I'm not very strong, and my job will probably force us to be away from each other for long periods of time. However, I just wanted to let you know, that I love you. I have loved you since the moment I first laid eyes on you and I love even more every second I am near you. I do not think it would be possible for me to ever stop loving you and I want you to know that I shall never do anything to hurt you, or let anyone else do so. I will do everything and anything in my power to keep you safe and happy and I feel that I can say with out a shadow of a doubt, that I am quite possibly the luckiest man in the world, knowing that I have your love. I love you, Wilhelmina Pearl Sparrow-Turner."

Mina's smile was watery, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I love you too, Graham Weatherby Norrington," she managed to choke out.

"Weatherby?" Jack whispered in surprise.

"That's Elizabeth's father's name," Will whispered back.

They then exchanged rings and kissed, sealing their agreement to be true to and love each other until the end of their days.

* * *

Jack sat hunched over in a nearby chair watching as Mina spoke politely with one of the guest, nursing a glace of whine as he did so. This was it. She belonged to Graham now. If he had really wanted to do anything about the situation, he had missed his chance, but seeing how happy she was now made him realize that he did the right thing. 

The slight scrapping of chair legs alerted him to the fact that Will had sat down beside him. The younger man place a comforting hand on the pirate's shoulder. "I'm proud of you Jack," he told him. "You didn't misbehave at all."

Jack snorted slightly and smirked at his lover's words. "Couldn't do it," he admitted. "She said she loved him and she seemed pretty sincere about it ta me. I just want her to be happy, is all."

Will grabbed his hand from underneath the table, making sure that no one could see the gesture. "Jack," he said softly. "I have something to tell you."

Jack nodded, taking a sip of his wine, his eyes still not leaving Mina's smiling face. "What's that, luv?"

"I'm pregnant."

Jack turned and looked at him sharply, raising an eyebrow at the former blacksmith. "Yer not," he gasped in surprise.

Will, however, took his surprise as horrified disgust and turned away from the other man sadly. "I am," he said meekly. "I know that's it shameful for me to be pregnant at my age, but... I couldn't help it! It was an accident!" He shook his head sadly, tears welling up in his eyes. "I didn't mean to Jack, I swear! I'm so sorry."

Jack instantly grabbed him and pulled him into his arms, stroking his back comfortingly. "Shh," he soothed. "Hush now luv, no need for that. I'm not angry, honest! I'm happy yer pregnant."

Will looked up at him uncertainly, his brown eyes wide and red with tears. "Really? You... you want to have another baby?"

"Will, as long as it's yer's I'll never tire of havin' babies."

_**-The  
End-**_


End file.
